Dispensing powder box



C. H. NELSON DISPENSING POWDER BOX Sept. 18, 1956 ATTORNEYS INVENTOR Christian li velson/ w "IIIIIII.YI.II i

Filed Sept. 8, 1953 United States Patent F DISPENSING POWDER BOX Christian H. Nelson, Arlington, Va.

Application September 8, 1953, Serial No. 378,922

Claims. (Cl. 13282) This invention relates to containers for pulverulent materials such as talcum face powder and the like.

One object of the invention is to provide a powder container of novel construction with improved dispensing means for projecting powder upon an applicator which is pressed against the container. Another object is' to pro vide a powder container with improved closure means. Another object is to provide a container which is well adapted to be assembled from cooperating parts of different colors, so as to obtain pleasing color combinations. Other objects will appear from the following description.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a sectional view in elevation of one embodiment of my invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of Figure 1 illustrating in broken lines the character of distortion during dispensing.

Figure 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a modification of the box of Figure 1.

Figure 4 is a sectional view in elevation of another embodiment of my invention.

Figure 5 is an enlarged fragmentary view of a portion of Figure 4 illustrating in broken lines the character of the distortion during dispensing from this embodiment.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like characters refer to similar parts, Figures 1 and 2 show one embodiment of my invention, comprising a container generally designated having a body or chamber 20, a cove-r 30, and a base or support 40, all of which are of circular configuration as viewed from above or below.

Body 20 comprises a bowl or chamber having a dispensing opening 21 in the top and a rounded bottom portion 22 which extends inwardly and downwardly from the side portions 23. A bead 25 in top 24 surrounds the opening 21. In the outer surface of side 23 and spaced around it may be formed a plurality of L-shaped grooves 26 for securing the cover in place as described below. As explained below body 20 may be made in one piece as shown, or it may be made of a plurality of pieces joined together.

The side portion 23 of the body is preferably thicker than the lowest part of bottom 22, the bottom diminishing gradually in thickness from its juncture with side portion 23 to the lowest part of bottom 22.

Cover 30 comprises an approximately flat circular top 31 having a flange 32 depending from its outer perimeter. A circular disc portion 34 may be formed in the center of the lower surface of top 31, this disc 34 having rounded surfaces to tightly fit bead 25 of the body when the cover is in place. Inside the lower portion of flange 32 and spaced around it so as to match grooves 26 there may be a plurality of locking lugs 33. Flange 32 and lugs 33 are so proportioned and spaced as to closely fit side 23 and grooves 26 respectively when the cover 30 is placed on body 20. Then, by rotating cover 30 slightly, the cammed surfaces 33' and 26' of lugs 33 and grooves 26 respectively will bring top 31 down against bead 25, securely closing opening 21 of the body.

Patented Sept. 18, 1956 ice Support 40 comprises a skirt shaped base 41 having a lower surface 42 adapted to rest upon table or the like and an upper perimeter or ring 43 which supports body 20. Breather holes 44 may be provided in skirt 41 to permit free movement of air to and from the enclosed space defined by the lower surface of body 20, skirt41 and the surface upon which the skirt rests. Support 40 may be integral with bottom 22, or it may be separate therefrom. If separate, it may or may not be attached to bottom 22.

Body 20 may be in one piece as shown, or it may be made of two or more pieces joined to each other. At least the bottom portion 22 is flexible and resilient, and may be made of any suitable flexible elastic material. Polyethylene is a preferred material for the body 2i). Other elastomeric plastic materials .are suitable, including rubber, but a relatively stilt yet springy material is better for dispensing purposes, as will be apparent from a description of the dispensing operation as described below. Thin springy metalis also satisfactory. The remaining portions of body 21 cover 30, and base or support 4!) may be made of the same or of different materials as bottom portion 22, and they may be of different colors. As stated above, support or base 4%] may be integral with bottom 22 or it may be made separately. If made separately it is preferably made of more rigid material such as metal, polystyrene and the like so as to form a more rigid support for dispensing purposes as will be apparent from the following description of the operation of container 10.

The operation of container 10 is as follows: Cover 36 being removed, powder or other pulverulent material is placed in body 20 through opening 21. The lower portion of the concave inner surface of rounded bottom 22 forms a pocket in which the powder naturally collects by gravity. If now an applicator such as a powder puff is placed on top of body 2i) and over opening 21 and pressed downwardly the upper portion of body 2t will be deflected downwardly. The upper perimeter or ring 43 of support 40 resists the downward movement of body 20, acting like an annular fulcrum, so that the portions of bottom 22 outside ring 43 flex resiliently downwardly as indicated in dotted lines at 27 in Figure 2. This causes the part of bottom 22 inside ring 43 to flex or snap upwardly, as indicated at 28, throwing powder up against the applicator. Upon release of downward pressure on the applicator, body 20 resumes its normal position, the loose powder falling to the lower part of bottom 22. The operation may be repeated. When the applicator is pressed downwardly there is a certain amount of bellows action due to compression of the body 20, but the action of the upwardly flexing movement indicated at 28 forcibly projects the powder directly onto the bottom of the applicator exposed over opening 21 regardless of the bellows action, and this is a most important result of my novel construction. So far as I am aware, no other powder dispenser utilizes the principle of an annular support fulcrum such as 43 to obtain a throwing action by the central or bottom portion of the container.

Breather holes 44 may be provided to permit free flow of air to and from the space enclosed by base 40, bottom 22, and a surface upon which base 46 may rest, in order to permit the central portion of bottom 22 to flex upwardly and downwardly freely without hindrance by suction or pressure efiects.

Support 40 may be of any suitable configuration, such as that indicated at 41a in Figure 3. Various other constructions of support 40 within the scope of the appended claims will be obvious to those skilled in the art. For example, an open-work support of metal may 3 be used, the upper surface of which may be imbedded in bottom 22.

In Figures 4 and 5 there is shown another embodiment of my invention. In this embodiment, support 40 is separate from body and has a rib or ring 43 which snaps into a groove 29 formed in the lower surface of bottom 22. This embodiment operates in the same manner as the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2, the bottom flexing about annular fulcrum 43 as indicated in dotted lines in Figure 5. Cover 30 has a deeper flange 32' than in the embodiment of Figures 1 and 2 providing storage space for an applicator 50.

When support is made separate from bottom 22 it is not essential that there be a groove and rib joint such as 29' and 43' in Figures 4 and 5. The bottom 22 may simply rest on the support or base 40, the configuration of the bottom surface of bottom 22 need not be altered, and the contour of the contacting surface of ring 43 in vertical cross section may have any desired shape. For example, it may be square or rounded on top, or it may have a contour which matches that of the bottom surface of bottom 22.

It will be noted that the diameter of ring 43' is comparatively smaller than that of ring 43, that is, as compared to the outer diameter of the body 20. In practice, the diameter of ring 43 or 43 relative to the outer diameter of the body 20 or 20' is chosen with regard to the flexing characteristics of the bottom portion so as to get the best ejection action of powder by the bottom against the applicator.

It is not essential that body 20 or 20' have a top portion 24 or 24 with a dispensing opening 21 or 21 smaller than the maximum width of the body. If desired, the body may consist of bottom 22 or 22' without a top. In this case an applicator large enough to cover the body may be pressed downwardly on said body and the bottom will flex as described above, throwing powder up onto the applicator.

Numerous other modifications within the scope of the appended claims will be apparent to .those skilled in the art. For example, and without limitation, the shape of the container as viewed from above may be rectangular, polygonal or oval instead of circular, as described using other cover securing means; and only the bottom portion of the body need be flexible, the body being fabricated from two or more parts if desired. As another example, body 20 may be cylindrical, bottom 22 being fiat.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that I have provided a novel and useful construction for powder boxes incorporating improvements over the prior art, and obtaining a novel dispensing action. The advantages of the construction and dispensing action will also be apparent. The construction readily lends itself to mass production of an attractive and useful dispensing powder box and to the utilization of modern plastic or elastomeric materials which as is well known may be cast or molded. The novel dispensing action, in which the powder is projected onto the applicator instead of the applicator being rubbed into the powder, is more sanitary. Furthermore this dispensing action is more efiective than the old rub it on technique when the amount of remaining powder is small, making for greater economy and sales appeal.

I claim as my invention:

1. A dispensing box for pulverulent material comprising a resilient bowl, said bowl having a dispensing opening in the top thereof, and a base below said bowl, said base having an upper perimeter in contact with the bottom of said bowl intermediate the center of said bottom and the outer side wall portion of said bowl, whereby when said bowl is forced downwardly against said base said outer side wall portion will move downwardly and the said center of said bottom will be thrown upwardly to eject said pulverulent material through said dispensing opening.

2. A dispensing box for pulverulent material comprising: a chamber having a surrounding side portion, a dis pensing opening in the top portion, and a resilient closed bottom portion; and a support comprising a skirt extending downwardly from said bottom portion, said skirt having an upper perimeter in contact with said bottom portion intermediate said side portion and the center of said bottom portion, said bottom portion being unsupported vertically except along said perimeter; whereby when said top portion is moved downwardly said resilient closed bottom portion will be flexed against the upper perimeter of said support, the portion of said bottom portion inside said perimeter being flexed upwardly, so as to throw pulverulent material from the bottom of said chamber upon an applicator positioned over said dispensing opening.

3. A dispensing box for pulverulent material comprising a chamber having an outer side wall portion, a dispensing opening in its top portion and a bottom of resilient material, said bottom having a groove in its lower outer surface intermediate the central portion of said bottom and said outer side wall portion, and a base supporting said bottom, said base having an upper rim coacting with said groove.

4. A dispensing box for pulverulent material comprising a chamber having a top portion, a dispensing opening in said top portion, an outer side wall portion, and a bottom of resilient material, a base under said bottom having an upper perimeter supporting said bottom intermediate the central portion of said bottom and said outer side wall portion, and a removable cover enclosing said top portion.

5. A dispensing box in accordance with claim 4 wherein space is provided in said cover to accommodate an applicator within said cover over said dispensing opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,340,217 Eberhart May l8, 1920 1,361,146 Egnatoff Dec. 7, 1920 1,816,383 Maillard July 28, 1931 1,999,242 Lederfeind Apr. 30, 1935 2,140,542 Nelson Dec. 20, 1938 2,342,200 Johnson Feb. 22, 1944 2,466,875 Brandt Apr. 12, 1949 2,554,489 Crane May 29, 1951 

